The police in Meghalaya on Wednesday registered a case against an aid worker from the United States for allegedly assaulting a doctor at a Covid-19 hospital in Shillong, PTI reported. The man, however, refuted the allegations and claimed the authorities misbehaved with him and even treated him without a proper diagnosis.

Authorities of the Shillong Civil Hospital on Tuesday lodged a complaint against Theodore Moallem, accusing him of spitting on employees and ransacking the facility where he was admitted.

Moallem is associated with a non-governmental organisation in Shillong, an unidentified police official said. A case has been registered and the investigation is underway. He was also tested for Covid-19, and is currently under home quarantine after the results were negative.

A report submitted by the hospital authorities to the health department said that Moallem had travelled to Guwahati, Assam, on May 26 and returned on June 6. He visited the Shillong Civil Hospital on the same day, as he was suffering from chest pain and breathlessness.

“The patient was advised injections but he became violent and started breaking the hospital’s doors and chairs and attacked the nursing staff and doctor on duty,” the report said, adding that a senior general surgeon suffered a fracture in a finger in the attack. It also accused him of coughing and spitting on employees on duty besides using incendiary language with them.

However, Moallem has denied the allegations, claiming the hospital authorities misbehaved with him. “They just started berating and giggling at me as for hours I begged for aspirin,” he said in a post on Facebook on June 7. “They injected me at least twice, possibly thrice. Never did they confirm the syringe contents...”

In a separate tweet, the man also appealed to national carrier Air India to make arrangements for his return to United States on account of his ill health. “I must return home to USA quickly now, as I am suffering heart issues and need to see doctors back home,” he said, adding his personal contact details. “I am an American citizen, presently in Shillong, Meghalaya. I stayed here to care for a disabled baby while we made other suitable arrangements.”